will paying a bill that has already made it to the credit bureau and charged off help my credit score?

i have a couple of bills in there that should be paid but if its not going to help my scrore. i would rather put my money somewhere else it is needed . (trying to get finances staight to by a home)

Public Comments

1. If it was charged off, that means you didnt pay it and to me thats not going to help your credit score and or buying a house.... Now if you pay that bill, it may or may not help your credit score..
2. Clear up anything with a collection agency first - if you call them, they might agree to a settlement depending on the size of the balance. Then start making regular payments on all your outstanding credit cards. What they are looking for is regular, consistent payments, even if its a small amount. Try to pay more than you charge each month and try to pay as much as possible.
3. hopefully they'll report your payment and it will help your credit score some, but just the fact that it went to collections has hurt your credit and will take several months to rebound b/c it looks like your having troubles at this point
4. Yes! Letting bills just sit there shows on your credit score. The date that the bill opened in a credit agency and the date it was payed is available to anyone who requests your credit report. It is always best to pay your bills. Your credit score might be affected at times if you have seriously delinquent accounts but for the most part there is no need to be concerned with the loss of a point or two, especially if your paying credit card bills on time.
5. Paying off old debt won't improve your score unless you get a delete for payment arrangement. The damage is already done. However, paid old debt looks better than unpaid. A mortgage company will insisit that you resolve all old debt before being approved for a loan. You can negotiate settlement for less than full balance. If it's more than 3 years old, offer 25%; 2 or 3 years, offer 50%; less than 2 years, offer 75%. Ask for delete for payment -- some will, some won't. Lump sum gets the best deals and any payment arrangement has to be short term. Get any settlement agreement in writing and keep it along with your payment proof forever. Do not give collection agencies direct access to your bank account. You need at least 24 months of consistent, on time payment history to improve your score. You should also put a set amount into a savings account every payday toward a downpayment and closing.
6. First check to see when the debt is scheduled to be deleted from your report. Here are the time frames for regular debts. Unpaid Tax Lien - Indefinitely Chapter 7 Bankruptcies - 10 years from date filed. Public Records - 7 years from the date of payment; Closed or Inactive Accounts - 10 years from the date of last activity; Derogatory Accounts - 7 years from the date of original delinquency; If the debts are due to be deleted fairly soon, then why bother paying, once they are beyond the SOL for reporting, the creditor can not re-date it and place it back on your credit report as per 15USC1681s-2] § 623. Responsibilities of furnishers of information to consumer reporting agencies. If the debt is fairly recent, then by all means, pay off the debts and they will then be removed from a derogatory entry to the accounts history, which will eventually raise your score. Hope this answers your question.
7. If you think "charged off" means forgiven, guess again. If there is an unpaid balance, they could still get a court judgement against you, or sell it to someone who will try much harder to collect the debt. A charge off that you did pay back may not look good. But an unpaid charge off or judgement looks even worse. What lender is going to trust you if you have a history of not paying some of your bills at all? That stays on your credit report for at least 7 years.
8. yes it will help your score...also here is a link that shows you where to go to obtain a free credit report http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/686669/free_annual_credit_report_is_it_really.html?cat=3